How long does baby food last?

[Tigergenesis]

I thought I'd heard you have to use it in 2-3 days after opening (and to refrigerate), but my crestie is so little she doesn't eat that much. I'll end up tossing quite a bit. Any tips to making it last longer? I may try giving some to my BlueTongue Skink to help use it up.

[latazyo]

I can't get mine to eat any baby food at all

[marisa]

Yeah baby food goes fast and I have the same issue. I have only two Golden Geckos who eat a tablespoon or so each out of each jar before it goes bad.

I just wait for sales on fruit baby food and buy TONS.

I don't know much about Crested Geckos, but for my Goldens another method I use is just making them fresh food by mashing/chopping up fruits. They love it and this way I don't always have to waste baby food.

Marisa

[HeatherRose]

I freeze my babyfood in little containers and microwave it when I need some...I've also heard that when left inside the enclosure in a dish it can go 'bad' within hours, but I don't have anything to back this up :P

[Tigergenesis]

I was thinking of freezing in ice cube trays, but still the amount she'd eat in a feeding is so little. I think I'll try and use mostly fruit and share the baby food with my bluey. :)

[PDDM]

Im pretty sure i heard it says there no good after a week,but there actually ok for a few weeks maybe 2-4

[Tigergenesis]

I just read some of the jars and went online and did a search on shelf life for baby food (just to double check) and everything says unopened will last 2-3 weeks past the date on the jar and opened in the fridge 2-3 days (some sources said 2 some said 3).

[PDDM]

Meh its not a big loss there only 99 cents for huge jars here!I use hienz its supposedly good for a week after opened.

[dj_honeycuts]

I use ice cube trays to freeze the baby food. Are you using just straight fruit, or are you mixing in a meat as a protein source? I don't trust the mix I use past 2 days because you can't always see what is "growing" in the food. Maybe get a few ice cube trays going with smaller amounts that you could use in a couple of days.
The other option would be to buy more cresteds until you have enough to eat a full cube! ;)

[Tigergenesis]

Buy more cresteds! I like that idea. :)

So the heinz jar says one week? Even if 1 week was a norm, I probably couldn't go by that because I buy the kind with no preservatives (that stuff makes it last longer).

More cresteds......

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

My baby food was lasting 5-7 days in the fridge. I think it was heinz too.

C.

[CDN-Cresties]

I have also read that you shouldnt feed any babyfood that contains suger in it. Im not too sure why but I would assume that it would be because it would be difficult for the crestie to break down. Has anyone else heard of this?

[Tigergenesis]

I've heard the same, so I bought baby food w/o preservatives, citrus or added sugar.

[DragnDrop]

They have no problems with sugar, but they don't need the added calories it provides.

Don't use a jar of baby food longer than about 3 days. To make it last, freeze it as suggested. If one 'ice cube' is too much for a serving, then only fill the cube part way before freezing, cut the cube or scrape some off.

If you're using meat with the fruit mix, don't leave it out longer than overnight, remove it in the morning to prevent food poisoning. it doesn't happen often in reptiles, but it's often fatal since it's not detected until almost too late.

If you really want to save money, get some fruit that's in season, on sale or 'day old' specials (still good, but not prime condition). Run it through the blender and make ice cubes. You can feed a crestie for months on next to no money. It works out to a fraction of the cost of prepared baby food.

[Tigergenesis]

Thanks for the ideas! I didn't think about scraping what I needed off of a frozen cube. But I still like the 'get more cresties' idea the best. :)

[PDDM]

:( this leaves me in a bad blace since my store only sells big jars wheres all the extra gonna go?guess ill do what was mentioned about making my own babyfood :D

[drewlowe]

I had the same problem only one crestie and too much food, so i bought 2 more cresties from Anthony C. I still throw some out but not as much as before.

Jamie

[little_dragon_]

Baby food for babies shouldn't be used after 3 days but I'm pretty sure its okay for geckos! They eat rotting fruit. I have been using a jar of baby food a month.

[Tigergenesis]

They eat rotting fruit? I don't think I've heard that yet. Hmmm....

[DragnDrop]

Originally posted by little_dragon_
Baby food for babies shouldn't be used after 3 days but I'm pretty sure its okay for geckos! They eat rotting fruit. I have been using a jar of baby food a month.

Once a jar of food is opened, the vitamins start to deteriorate. It's the same deal as 'fresh' fruit and veggies not being near as nutritious as the frozen or canned versions. At the end of a month you'll have some vitamins, but not many left. Also, the food will have a higher bacteria count than a freshly opened jar. It's true that the geckos would have a hardier stomach, but they don't eat rotting fruit by choice. Any old fruit they find in the wild will be overrun by fly maggots, insects and a host of other organisms determined to eat it or decompose it. The maggots and insect larvae help keep the fruit from going mouldy and are an added source of nutrients for the gecko. A few licks or bites of the fruit, and he's got a good meal. There's more food value in that rotting fruit than a jar of baby food, specially if it's been opened for a month whether in the fridge or not.

I've read a lot of posts on various email lists and forums about sick lizards and geckos which ended up being the result of eating spoiled food. Mouldy grain is really dangerous (mycotoxins in grain based gutload), but fruit can also be dangerous. There's no way I'd risk the lives of my geckos by feeding them from a jar of baby food for a month or until it's used up. They can safely eat food that's a bit past it's prime, too far gone for us to risk, but still good. But I would think a month is way out of line even for a gecko. I've seen baby food grow fuzz in just a few days. If you stir it up before use, the spores are still there, just mixed in where you can't see them.

[little_dragon_]

I have never had any fuzz or spores growing in my baby food..and I usually taste it before I give it to them...I use peach and appricott. If the nutrients are starting to go the cgd I mix into it would certainly replenish it and they would still get the natural taste of fruit. Maybe my fridge is at the perfect temperature. i might try freezing it but I have never had a problem with my method and honestly buying babyfood to last 3 days is a waste of money and food considering all the children starving in the world. If I had an infant I would follow the guidlines.